Demonstration
MCC-2024-0036 • Belize • Stann Creek
REGISTERED
Methodology
MCC-002
Country
Belize
Stann Creek
Estimated Area
22,400 ha
Est. Credits/Year
8,600
Start Date
8/1/2024
Crediting Period
30 years
Project Description
Strengthening enforcement and biodiversity outcomes across two replenishment zones of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (UNESCO World Heritage). Conservation units quantify herbivore biomass, structural complexity and recruit density.
Project lifecycle
Project workflowREGISTERED
Milestones (3/5 completed)
- Baseline ecological surveyCOMPLETED
Establish pre-project ecological baseline using transect surveys, water quality sampling, and remote-sensing imagery analysis.
Due: 30 May 2026Completed: 1 Jun 2026 - Stakeholder consultation completedCOMPLETED
Open consultation with coastal communities, fisher cooperatives, and local authorities — minutes archived in project record.
Due: 29 Jul 2026Completed: 4 Aug 2026 - Field implementation kickoffCOMPLETED
On-site teams mobilised; planting, deployment, or protection-measures begin per methodology specification.
Due: 27 Sept 2026Completed: 12 Oct 2026 - First annual monitoring reportPENDING
Year-one monitoring report compiled and submitted; covers biomass, GPS tracks, photo points, and community indicators.
Due: 25 Apr 2027 - Independent validation site visitPENDING
VVB lead auditor visits project site, samples evidence, reviews documentation, drafts validation opinion.
Due: 24 Jul 2027
Validation & verification
Validation
ISO 14064-2:2019COMPLETED
Site visit: 27 Sept 2026 · Opinion issued: 27 Oct 2026 · Opinion: not typed (MCC-400 art. 63(f)) — issuance is refused until the VVB records one
Verification
No verification on record yet.
AI-assistance disclosure
30 May 2026An AI-assisted analysis was performed on this submission as part of MCC’s review process. AI output is advisory: it never approves, registers or issues, and every decision affecting this project is made by a human reviewer under MCC-850 (AI Governance Standard). The analysis record itself is an internal document and is not published. Programme-level statistics on AI analysis volume, confidence distribution and human override rates are published in MCC’s quarterly AI Transparency Report.
Model version: claude-sonnet-4-5
Technical review
COMPLETEDFindings raised (3)
- OBSERVATION20 open
- NON CONFORMITY MINOR10 open
Findings are raised by the review team and resolved with the project developer before registration. The text of individual findings forms part of the review record and is not published; the registration decision is published in full when it is made.
Sustainable development contributions
7.5
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Climate (SDG 13) contribution from carbon sequestration and avoided emissions in the project boundary.
Indicators (2)
- 9Annual CO2-eq sequestration13.20 tCO2e → 8420 tCO2e
- 7Climate resilience index (community survey)13.12.4 / 5 → 3.6 / 5
8.2
Overall score
SD-Vista EligibleAssessed: 29 Jul 2026Life Below Water (SDG 14) contribution from habitat protection, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable use of marine resources.
Indicators (3)
- 8Coral / seagrass / mangrove cover (%)14.238% → 52%
- 9Area effectively protected (ha)14.50 → 1250
- 8Fish biomass index (kg / 100 m²)14.412.1 → 18.7
6.8
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) contribution from local employment, training, and supply-chain participation.
Indicators (3)
- 7Local jobs created (FTE)8.50 → 34
- 8Women in project workforce (%)5.50% → 41%
- 7Households with improved livelihood income1.40 → 210
Safeguards & ESIA
Screened: 29 Jun 2026Risk category
CATEGORY_BClearance
CLEAREDESIA required
YESEvidence library (8)
PHOTOGRAPHIC · 2FIELD_OBSERVATION · 2LAB_ANALYSIS · 1COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY · 1SATELLITE_IMAGERY · 1GPS_TRACK · 1
| Type | Collected | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | 28 Aug 2026 | ✓ 16 Nov 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | 13 Aug 2026 | — |
| LAB_ANALYSIS | 29 Jul 2026 | ✓ 27 Sept 2026 |
| COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY | 14 Jul 2026 | — |
| SATELLITE_IMAGERY | 29 Jun 2026 | ✓ 8 Aug 2026 |
| GPS_TRACK | 14 Jun 2026 | — |
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | 30 May 2026 | ✓ 19 Jun 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | 15 May 2026 | — |
Host-country position
NOT DETERMINEDNot yet determined
The programme has not recorded a host-country position for this project. No issuance can occur until it has.
Rule: FD-2026-08-24 item D8 · Host Country Authorisation Procedure v1.0 · Corresponding Adjustment and Double Counting Prevention Policy v1.0.
Stakeholder consultation
CLOSEDReversal events (1 detected)
PARTIAL✓ Resolved 16 Apr 2026
17 Mar 2026 · VVB_AUDITAffected area
65 ha
Reversed (tCO₂e)
380
Coral bleaching event during marine heatwave (2026 Q1). Affected 8% of monitored reef area. Recovery monitoring shows partial recolonization; reversal classified as natural-disturbance, not project-failure. Buffer adjustment minimal per methodology Section 12.4.
Live biodiversity (GBIF)
cached 24h · live polygon queryTotal records
41,682
Species observed
138
Sample size
300
Top 12 species in polygon
| Species | Vernacular | Records | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acropora palmata | — | 18 | sample |
| Aetobatus narinari | — | 9 | sample |
| Ginglymostoma cirratum | — | 9 | sample |
| Coenobita clypeatus | — | 8 | sample |
| Butorides virescens | — | 8 | sample |
| Pelecanus occidentalis | — | 8 | sample |
| Hypanus americanus | — | 8 | sample |
| Fregata magnificens | — | 7 | sample |
| Aliger gigas | — | 7 | sample |
| Quiscalus mexicanus | — | 5 | sample |
| Arenaria interpres | — | 5 | sample |
| Pandion haliaetus | — | 5 | sample |
Source: Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) occurrence search — live polygon query, max 300 records sampled.
Continuous habitat monitoring
Sentinel-2 · CDSE · 2 snapshotsLatest period
1 Jul – 1 Aug 2026
NDVI mean
-0.054
Habitat coverage
0.2%
Cloud cover
2%
Latest least-cloudy Sentinel-2 mosaic of the project area, retrieved live from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Continuous monitoring runs monthly.
SAR radar monitoring (cloud-piercing)
Sentinel-1 · CDSE · VV polarisationObservation period
1 Jul – 1 Aug 2026
VV backscatter mean
-12.9 dB
Valid pixels
—
Indicator
Possible disturbance
Sentinel-1 SAR backscatter (VV polarisation, GAMMA0-terrain corrected, decibels). Open water sits around −22 dB, flooded mangroves −8 to −14 dB, intact dense canopy around −7 dB. Cloud-independent — tracks tidal cycles and detects canopy collapse.
Biodiversity context
GBIF · OBIS (UNESCO-IOC) · public datasetsGBIF (all biodiversity)
Records
41,766
Species
138
Last 5y
300
Top species in sample
- Acropora palmata (Lamarck, 1816)18
- Aetobatus narinari (Euphrasen, 1790)9
- Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788)9
- Coenobita clypeatus (Fabricius, 1787)8
- Butorides virescens (Linnaeus, 1758)8
OBIS (marine-only)
Records
11,929
Species
204
Last 5y
75
Top marine species in sample
- Mollusca11
- Haemulon flavolineatum6
- Scarus iseri6
- Sparisoma viride6
- Acanthurus bahianus6
Sample of up to 300 occurrences each. GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) covers all taxa; OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, UNESCO-IOC) is the marine subset indexed against WoRMS. Both refresh daily via 24h cache.
Coral habitat composition
Allen Coral Atlas · ASU / Planet / U. Queensland / VulcanReef area
96,400 ha
Bleaching alert
WarningBenthic composition
- Coral31%
- Algae18%
- Rubble9%
- Sand30%
- Seagrass5%
- Rock7%
Geomorphic zones
- Reef slope34%
- Lagoon27%
- Sheltered slope18%
- Reef crest12%
- Outer flat9%
Composition derived from the ACA global vector release at project onboarding time. Roadmap: server-side polygon intersection against the ACA REST API for monthly bleaching-alert updates.
Ocean color (chlorophyll, turbidity)
Sentinel-3 OLCI · CDSE · 2026-04Chlorophyll-a
4.39 mg/m³
NDCI
0.051
TSM proxy
0.067
Water quality
poor · stable
Sentinel-3 OLCI 300 m daily revisit. Chlorophyll-a via OC4Me proxy; NDCI (Mishra & Mishra red-edge) is robust in turbid coastal water. Roadmap: live cron alongside Sentinel-2/Sentinel-1.
Vessel activity in project area
Spire Maritime · global AISUnique vessels (24h)
101
Boundary intrusions (7d)
2
Flag diversity
4
Top vessel types
- Pleasure craft43
- Research27
- Passenger20
Sample MMSI traffic
346205796 · Tanker · CY
212506749 · Pleasure craft · LR
455052591 · Tanker · NL
785017913 · Tug · MH
Sample data shown. Live Spire Maritime AIS subscription required for production traffic monitoring; the backend endpoint is integrated and waiting on subscription activation.
High-resolution commercial snapshot
Planet Labs · PSSceneCapture date
2026-05-14
Resolution
3 m
Cloud cover
9.0%
Area covered
430 km²
Scene ID
20260514_1611_69_9476
Planet PlanetScope 3 m daily / SkySat 0.5 m on-demand. Used to validate Sentinel-derived signals at sub-Sentinel resolution. Backend integrated; live activation pending Orders API entitlement.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sample
NatureMetrics · MCC-EDNA-013-5165Collection date
2026-04-12
Species detected
63
IUCN red list (CR/EN/VU)
5
Top detections by read count
- Macrocystis pyrifera · Giant kelp169 reads
- Chelonia mydas · Green sea turtleEN2,291 reads
- Rhizophora mangle · Red mangrove390 reads
- Epinephelus marginatus · Dusky grouperVU943 reads
- Posidonia oceanica · Mediterranean seagrass1,066 reads
Sample composition shown. Live NatureMetrics workflow ships sampling kits to field teams; lab returns metabarcoded species assignments against WoRMS / GBIF references. Replaces with real lab output on first sampling cohort.
Created: 4/30/2026
Last Updated: 4/30/2026